Executive Director of In Defense of Christians (IDC) Richard Ghazal to Join CPAC Christian Persecution Summit

Richard Ghazal will speak at CPAC's Christian Persecution Summit on October 30, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Terrace Theatre. As head of In Defense of Christians (IDC), he leads strategic advocacy to protect endangered Christian communities across the Middle East and beyond, drawing on his distinguished military, legal, and policy expertise.

A retired U.S. Air Force intelligence officer and Judge Advocate, Ghazal served as legal advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and federal prosecutor. He commanded over 1,500 mission-hours of ISR operations and was Chief of Levant political-military intelligence for the U.S. Air Force in Europe. His publications in The Wall Street Journal, The Hill, Newsweek, and Forbes expose the systematic targeting of Christians by authoritarian regimes and extremist groups.

An ordained Reader in the Syriac Orthodox Church who speaks the Turoyo dialect of Aramaic, Ghazal brings personal and ancestral ties to the ancient Christian heartlands now under threat. IDC, under his leadership, drives legislative and executive action to counter church bombings, forced displacements, and cultural erasure in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and the broader region.

At the Summit, Ghazal will outline high-impact policy solutions to halt the genocide of Middle Eastern Christians and secure U.S. commitment to their survival.

Register today at cpac.org/summit/christians.